Movie Review: My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999)

One of my top Studio Ghibli films

My eight-year-old daughter’s favorite movie is My Neighbors the Yamadas. We have seen it together as a family about three or four times, and we don’t ever get sick of it.

My Neighbors the Yamadas is an animated slice-of-life comedy movie from 1999 by Isao Takahata (The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, Grave of the Fireflies). There are many vignettes of different everyday events that the family of five go through. There’s a mom, dad, teenage boy, young girl, grandma, and a quiet dog. Like any sitcom, their personalities are all different and we witness moments of happiness, pettiness, and bickering which are all so endearing and funny.

Isao Takahata’s brush strokes and watercolor splashes feel like he’s done them all willy-nilly, and that makes it even more beautiful to me. I really appreciate the permission not to make everything look “perfect” but draw just enough to portray what you want to say. Though they share the same production studio, Takahata’s minimalistic yet bold and loose style strongly contrasts Hayao Miyazaki’s brighter, saturated color palette and meticulous, detailed line work. It feels like the difference between your best friend who loves you in your sweats and oily hair and someone you highly admire and whose visit prompts a panic clean.

When the mom and dad get married, an elder makes a speech about marriage and partnerships as we see the couple getting into a bobsled and determinedly racing on the ice track. The bobsled turns into a boat, and then they sail through cloudy weather and perilous waves while we listen about how even a couple of losers can make it through life if they are together. The wedding guest continues, telling everyone to have children as soon as you can because they make life better. Aw.

One of my favorite scenes features the little girl named Nonoko falling asleep in the mall and getting left behind by her family. She is not scared nor anxious in the least, and helps another child find his mother by speaking to an employee. When asked if she is lost, she coolly answers that it’s actually her family that is lost. Not her! I love her confident attitude.

The best part of the movie is not just the 104 minutes of runtime, but how it colors my life afterwards. The struggles of married life seem funny, children feel like an honor to witness, and my whole life feels like a movie. It makes me appreciate what I have, especially those little everyday moments of being a mother and wife.

Chances are, there will be some parts you can relate to and some you can’t, but there is something in it for everyone. I think it’s available on Max? Give it a shot, and make sure to watch with English subtitles and Japanese audio.